Warty Seacat

Dolabrifera dolabrifera, commonly known as the warty seacat, is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. The animal goes by many names, including the common sea hare. The Hawaiian name for Dolabrifera dolabrifera, is Kualakai.

Description & Biology

The seacat is a flat sea hare that grows to about 10 cm long. The maximum recorded length is 108 mm. It is commonly spotty green or brown, but it can also be reddish. The animal's back half is typically wider and rounded, it narrows towards the head. Warty seacats are soft-bodied gastropods, who have lost a protective shell over time. All species of sea hares have ink glands for chemical defense, though Dolabrifera dolabrifera does not release ink.

Distribution

This species is found in warm tropical and subtropical waters.

Habitat

These animals are majorly preyed on in their habitat. Warty seacats live in shallow-flat pools that contain large boulders, near-shore. Collections of the hares gather underneath rocks in the intertidal zone. At night the warty seacats hide themselves in between cracks found in the boulders. During the day, when the tide rises, the seacats emerge. Due to the varying in color and pattern, it is hard to distinguish them from other species in the habitat. The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m; the maximum recorded depth is 3 m.